BDS movement targets Palestinian investors in West Bank mall
Pro-Palestinian activists are working with a consumer advocacy group to urge Palestinian investors to back out of a new shopping mall in northern Jerusalem, warning that not only will the project harm the Palestinian economy, the investors themselves could face legal action.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — In June, the National Committee for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel, known as the BDS movement, and the Palestinian Consumer Protection Society managed to convince a major Palestinian company to withdraw from a partnership with Israeli businessman Rami Levy to build a shopping mall in al-Ram in northern Jerusalem, over an area of approximately 20 dunams (20,000 square meters) and with a total cost of 200 million shekels ($52 million).
According to an article published by the Israeli website Walla Jan. 15, Levy had announced his plan to build a shopping mall — which is currently under construction — to promote Israeli-Palestinian coexistence in Jerusalem by attracting Palestinian businessmen to buy or lease shops in the mall, Palestinian customers and Israelis living in nearby settlements. Levy’s plan sparked an angry reaction from many Palestinians.
The mall is being built in the Qalandiya industrial area, Atarot, which lies north of Jerusalem, just meters from Faisal al-Husseini International Stadium, the home of the Palestinian national football team. This area is classified as Area C and the industrial zone is considered a settlement area. Palestinians living in Jerusalem as well as residents of Ramallah and the surrounding villages are allowed access to this area, as the mall is located at its entrance.
On July 2, the Palestinian Consumer Protection Society threatened to reveal the names of the Palestinian companies that sought partnership with Levy, put them on the Palestinian blacklist, boycott them and urge the Palestinian Chamber of Commerce to freeze their memberships.
